2013 Goals..... a little late haha!

Haha I totally forgot to post my goals for the year.... I have to go to bed so I'm just going to be real quick.  I have some pictures to post tomorrow though so make sure to check back.

Well last year was.... difficult and I didn't really meet any of my goals.  I rode Chrome and had fun with him and was safe.  Those were the two most important ones.  So I'm not even going to go into the old ones, but I will be carrying over some of them and adding some new ones for the new year.  Here they are!

2013 Goals

1. Start my Paddock Paradise 
Notice I say start... that's because it will probably be a long, ongoing process as I get the money to invest more and more into it.  If you don't know what paddock paradise is check out my earlier post here - http://rdxhorses.blogspot.com/2013/02/paddock-paradise.html. 

2. Teach Chrome to longe and ground drive.
Chrome is almost four so I figure by now his legs can hold up to some longeing.  :)  I want to teach him to longe so we can practice vocal cues, going forward with energy and also ground driving.  I finally got my round pen set up so I should be able to start working on this soon.  :)

3. Ride Chrome more and get him in shape (Do Couch to 5k).
I have to get Chrome in better shape.  To see why and also to learn more about the Couch to 5k program go to my earlier post here - http://rdxhorses.blogspot.com/2013/02/locking-stifle-or-stringhalt.html.

4. Buy a new horse trailer and get Chrome comfortable hauling.





I need a new horse trailer!  The one I have right now is a very old, Thoroughbred style trailer that is narrow, but very tall.  Someone took the center divider out before I got it so it only safely hold one horse.  That is very frustrating especially when we had to move them to our new home one at a time.  It took like six hours to get them all moved.  Chrome is also nervous of this trailer and doesn't like it at all.  It's so old it doesn't have trailer brakes or good suspension so I know the ride has to be rough and loud.  So yeah... I need a new trailer.  I just wish I had the money to go buy a new, fancy one right now instead of having to scour sale ads.  Keep your fingers crossed we find something finally!

5. Build some CTR obstacles and practice on them.


Since Chrome will be old enough to compete in competitive trails rides in a little over a year I probably need to start doing some prep work!!  I would like to build my own obstacles to work on.  We will see if I find the time and money....

6. Tame Led Zeppelin and get him gelded.

Now that we are getting settled in our new home with neighbors that are further away and won't be bothered by braying I am going to pen Zep up and get him tamed.  It's impossible to work with him out in the pasture with the other horses because they get in the way and he has too much room to run off.  I'm also planning to get him gelded.  Part of the reason we haven't is because of money, but now that my husband has a really good job that shouldn't be a problem soon.  The other reason I haven't is fear....  Zep will turn six years old this year and I've heard that donkeys can be more difficult to geld.  Something about bigger blood vessels that have to be sewn up or they can bleed to death....  I want him to be tame enough that if there is a problem I'll be able to see it before something happens....  yeah so I'm just nervous about it.

7. Work on Faran's confidence.

This one is more for my husband.  I haven't really written much about it on the blog, but Faran and I do NOT get along at all..... we basically ignore each other.  I feed him and check him for injuries daily, but that's the extent of our interactions (well other than me taking pictures of him).  I'll explain more later if any of you are interested. 

8. Take dressage lessons again (with Chrome if he's ready or on a school horse if he's not).
Now that I'm back in my hometown I want to start taking dressage lessons with my old trainer again!  If I can get the basics on Chrome well enough before the end of the year I'll start taking lessons on him, if not I'll just ride a lesson horse.  I can't wait!

9.  Get Chrome landing heel first.
I haven't talked about Chrome's hooves in a while, but he still mostly lands toe first so I want to learn more about hooves and figure out what I need to be doing to get him landing heel first.  I'll write more on this later.

Anyway I really need to hit the hay, so I'll talk to you all later.  :D  Oh and I'm trying to get caught up on everyone's blogs, but it's taking a while, so let me know if I missed yours. 

I'm Back & Chrome Update

Sorry I completely forgot to tell everyone I was going out of town for a few days to visit family. I was really nervous leaving on Monday because Chrome had just finished his third day of antibiotics (Uniprim) and was still a little swollen. Upon returning tonight though I'm happy to report that everything is healed up nicely and there is no swelling!! I'm so happy and relieved. Worrying about Chrome took some of the fun out of my visit, but I had really good friends checking in on him so I knew he was doing okay. :D I have until Wednesday before I have to go back to work so hopefully the weather will improve (cold and rainy) so I can get new pictures and play with my ponies that I missed so much while I was gone. For now though I need sleep. It seems weird to be exhausted sitting in a truck all day but it is lol. Night!

Chrome Gelding/Castration Update

Chrome is doing great, but that one incision still looks a little iffy so I did get some antibiotics for him, just to be on the safe side. :) Hopefully I'll be able to gets some pictures of the horses and donkey tomorrow. I feel bad not posting any, but since my boss has been sick I've been working from the time I get up in the morning until it gets dark outside. Yuck. One of the worse parts about winter is these short, short days.

Chrome Update - A Question About Trailers & Hauling

First an update on Chrome's gelding/castration. He still feels fantastic and the best news is that today was the first day that he had no swelling and no filling in his sheath. Yay!! The bad news is that while his right incision looks great, his left is still pretty open and I can see puss forming in it. It's not draining, but I can definitely see it so I guess there is some infection going on. The frustrating part is that the vet wasn't in today so I have to wait until tomorrow to call him and I can't give antibiotics for seven days because we will be out of town for a couple of days and my only friend I trust to give them has a broken arm . . . so I'm going to see if the vet will let us do another shot of penicillin. I wish I could just reschedule my plans, but work won't let me switch vacation days once they're made. So frustrating and stressful!! I'm just happy that he's still acting like he feels good and it's not swollen anymore. I'll just talk to the vet tomorrow and see what I need to do.

My other question is in regards to hauling. Chrome loads well at home, but he gets very stressed during the trailer ride. He almost always is sweating no matter how cold it is when we get to our destination. I don't want him that stressed about hauling. He also is very difficult to reload when we're not at home. I can't leave the back doors open because right now I'm hauling loose (he's never been tied in a trailer) and he acts like he wants to jump out. It's an enclosed two horse bumper pull, but it does have narrow windows running the length of it that used to have plexi glass and are now open because it broke, which is why I think he likes to turn around (no divider) because he can see. The front where the head goes is completely enclosed except for a couple of ventilation holes. That has to be scary for a horse. I do plan to eventually teach him to tie in a trailer using one of those slider tie rings so that if he ever fell or totally panicked the rope would pull through and not hang him up. So any suggestions on getting him more comfortable in the trailer??

I also would like to buy a head bumber for him in case he ever reared or hit his head (he loads and unloads calmly, but I don't know what he does on the trailer when it's moving - wish I had a camera lol), but I've never bought one before. I've held off a while because I though they were expensive, but I finally looked and some are as cheap at $10, however I know with a lot of things you get what you pay for. So any experience with cheap versus expensive? Any dos or don'ts? Brands? Any advice at all I'm very appreciative of. :)

Chrome's Feeling Good!

Picture taken April 2010.

When I called the horses up to eat breakfast I could see Chrome kicking at the donkey and then he chased Faran around the barn. They started trotting across the pasture and Chrome cantered past Faran and did some athletic bucking and jumped the little creek (that is actually a ditch, but after all the rain looks like a creek haha). Faran gave a buck in response and they galloped up to eat their breakfast.

Chrome’s incisions look exactly like yesterday so no new swelling yay! Since it was thirty five degrees outside I decided to just take him for a short walk. Chrome felt GREAT! He was shaking his head, tried to nip me (only once!), rubbed his nose on the pavement, played tug of war with his lead rope and was prancing like a fancy Friesian stallion. He was soooo beautiful!! He would sort of prance beside me asking if he could trot and I’d start running and he would trot out beside me with his neck all arched and gorgeous. I love when my boy feels so full of himself. I hope he doesn't lose his presence and personality now that he's gelded.

During the entire walk he was walking up next to me, arching his neck, lowering his head, asking to trot, anything trying to earn a click (which of course I didn’t have my darn clicker) so I gave him a wither scratch and praise instead. He was so cute. We didn’t go far because I forgot to wear a hat and my ears HURT!!!

At one point when Faran and Zep galloped up to the fence Chrome flagged his tail and pranced beside me. He was so gorgeous! Sorry I keep saying that. Then I walked around the house and Faran thought we were going the other way down the road so he galloped (bucking half the way) around to the other road. Adorable!! I wish I'd taken my camera!

When I put Chrome up he trotted out to Faran with his neck arched to sniff noses. I guess this is the one good thing about cold weather is the horses feel so good (and look good feeling good!). :D

Exciting Longeing Update

Picture taken February 2011.

Chrome did awesome!!! We had the brilliant idea of going out to the barn since he was out there anyway instead of doing everything while standing out in the rain. It worked great because there are old cattle feeders in the big barn and I was able to put everything on it instead of trying to stuff it in my pockets or hang on to it. Everything stayed drier too.

Chrome did so much better on the longe line. I think partly it was because the area was flatter. He kept a nice, slow trot (and still mud and water was splashing everywhere!). I never realized how much suspension the boy has when he wants to lol. The most exciting part of today is that he started offering to lower his head while trotting on the longe!!! I wish I could have had my clicker, but with the rain it’s too hard to handle everything. I was wearing a full rain suit (which the horses are doing great with) and it makes moving around awkward.

So when he would lower his head I would say whoa (drawn out, not said in a clipped tone) and he would immediately stop, then I would walk to him and feed him a treat! Sometimes when I would say whoa he would try to walk toward me, but if I put my arms in the air and said whoa he would stop. Then when I got to him I would have him back up and shoulder yield over until he was back on the circle before I fed a treat. If I’m consistent I think he’ll figure it out.

Getting back to the middle of the circle is the part I was having problems with. If I turned my back to him he would try to follow, but walking backwards was a little iffy in the mud and rain suit. And when I would get almost back to the middle he would start trotting on the circle before I ever said anything which I thought was pretty cool lol.

What I ended up doing is when I ask him to whoa I would drop the rope and whip and walk to him, so when I would go back to the middle I picked up the rope and asked him to trot on (with no whip and he did it hehe), letting the rope feed out until he was on a big circle and I would just move the circle over until I could pick up the whip again. It worked great! I’m glad we’re finally figuring things out together. This has been an experience!!

As far as his incision it looks good. I couldn’t get all of the scabs off this time, but I don’t know for sure if I really needed to. It was draining a little before I started, by the end it wasn’t really draining much, which I’m hoping means there wasn’t anything left to drain?? The swelling is way down and the filling in his sheath seems to be going down some too. I think he’s finally healing up. Keeping my fingers crossed the swelling doesn’t come back.

I promise I'm working on Faran's post. Editing video just takes time lol.

Quick Chrome Update - Kinda Gross Details LOL

Picture taken 10-20-2009.

Just wanted to drop in for an update about Chrome's exercise program and healing from his gelding/castration. Yesterday after doing some research online I started using a warm, wet rag to moisten his scabs with. So our routine is use the compress on the scabs, longe for five minutes at the trot, use compress, longe five minutes in the other direction, etc.

Yesterday I managed to get the scab off of the right side and all of the swelling was gone by the time we finished longeing, but the left side was still a little swollen. I kept soaking and very, gently rubbing the scab until I peeled up one side, but by that time he had started to sweat (don't want him sweating too much in this cold rain), so I called it a night.

Today I worked on both scabs. This time it was the opposite side. The whole scab came off of the left side and all of the swelling worked out of it. Then the right side was being stubborn. I finally got the scab off and the swelling down. I think this is the first time both have been even in days lol. I bet he feels SO much better. :D

So both scabs are removed and the swelling is down in both sides. His sheath is still full of fluid, but it doesn't bother him and it's completely normal. I'm glad we've found something that works finally. The only thing that concerns me now is the ridiculous amounts of rain we're getting (we've set new record rainfalls, are under flash flood warning and water is standing out in the pasture because it can't get into the pond) has the ground soooo wet. Chrome is still a bit unhappy about the longeing process and sometimes takes off cantering and slips around. I'm terrified of him falling or pulling a muscle. We're moving spots each time we work (which is horribly tearing up our grass), but if this keeps up (supposed to rain two more days) we are going to run out of spots!! I wish I had an indoor arena lol. I'll just try to keep him in grassy areas so he hopefully won't slip. He's doing pretty good about slowing down when he does slip and I'm walking a little to move the circle over during each lap.

Anyway this weekend was crazy like I expected, so I'll get Faran's post up tomorrow since I don't have to work (thank goodness!!). Later!

Crash Course in Longeing

Picture taken October 2011.

Chrome has started to swell more so I started thinking maybe hand walking wasn't going to be enough to keep the incision open and draining, so I decided to try longeing, that way I could keep him at a trot for a longer amount of time. I've put off teaching him to longe so far because I didn't want to stress his joints by having him on a circle, but I don't think longing him for a few more days while he heals will cause any problems with his joints. The incisions are pretty scabbed over and I don't want it to heal on the outside before the inside heals, so trot we did!

I used one of my long driving reins and took him out into the pasture. I had to pop the whip behind him for a second (without touching him) to get him to go, but boy once he started moving he took off (at a trot). He kept trying to take off in a straight line away from me and when I'd pull him around on a circle he would stop. It only took two or three times before he figured out going in a circle. :) As lazy as he is I rarely get to see his pretty movement anymore, but wow on the longe he looks nice! Obviously he had his head in the air and he was trotting really fast, but he will figure that out eventually. At least I have a nice, forward trot. I was worried he would be extremely balky (not want to move forward).

I could tell he was not happy with the situation at all, but I don't really have a choice. I need him moving to get that incision draining. I really don't want to take him back to the vet to get the incisions opened back up. I had him on a large circle, probably about twenty meters, so hopefully it wasn't too stressful on his joints. He kept the circle pretty round except on the path leading to the gate he tried to run off each time around (remind me to wear gloves next time eek! No burns this time luckily). I moved him up near the fence so the round pen panels blocked that side and he did much better.

The really cool part is that after longing for about ten minutes I was able to drop the whip and keep him going. :D And even more awesome is that when I said whoa he STOPPED!! He was so awesome. I didn't have to pull his head around or jerk on his head or anything. I just said whoa and he stopped and stood still so I could walk up to him and hug him. I was worried he would try to walk toward me, but he didn't. Chrome is such a good boy.

When we finished our longeing the incisions were draining again, so that's awesome. :) Poor guy was miserable. I think it was hurting pretty bad. I feel awful for forcing him to move, but it's better than getting an infection. I spent some time walking around with him and giving him treats to make it up to him lol. He appreciated that part of it. So I'll keep doing that until he's healed, then I'll leave longeing alone until he's three. When he's three I'll teach him how to longe correctly. At least he has the circle part of it figured out lol. Anyway sorry for rambling. Later guys!

P.S. Forgot to mention we worked with Faran today on picking up his hooves and I got pictures and video. I'll post it tomorrow if I have time. Weekends really suck at work so we will see.

Chrome's First Walk After Gelding/Castration - Video!

I took Chrome for his first walk this morning since he was gelded/castrated yesterday. He did great! He was reluctant at times with his ears back and his tail switching from side-to-side so I think he is feeling some discomfort. He's so stoic about it though so it's hard to tell how much pain he's in. I wish there was something I could do for him. I know horses are tough because showing weakness in the wild could get them killed. Millions of horses have been gelded though so he will be fine. Once this is past he will be so much better off. :)

Our shadows as we walk up from the pasture together.
My shadow makes me look fat lol.
Well my coat does anyway.

Hubby went with us and took the dogs.
Gotta love multitasking.

He did some yawning. Silly boy always does that though.

Reluctant to walk at times, but that was partly due to Faran neighing at him lol.

Watching Faran.

Checking out a puddle and of course he stepped over the rope and pulled it out of my hand right into the mud lol.

Check out this video of our walk.


When we got back from the walk Chrome and Zeppelin were playing together. Chrome was cantering and trotting around and playing bitey face with him. I'm glad he's doing so well but I cringe watching him lol. I'll keep everyone updated. :D

Chrome's Gelding/Castration Photos

Chrome loaded up fine at the house. When we got to the vet clinic about fifteen minutes away he was sweating and it was in the mid forties Fahrenheit today, so the trailer definitely makes him nervous. Poor baby. We will work on it more in the spring.

He unloaded perfectly and was very curious about everything around him, but definitely not overly excited. He was being a tad bit pushy, but settled down with a firm reminder. The picture above is when he first got out of the trailer and he was waiting with my husband while I told them we had arrived.

We walked him around a bit because it was freezing (to me anyway) and I forgot my gloves and hat. I was so cold! He enjoyed exploring a little.

We had to wait about thirty minutes. It was torture. So cold and windy and I was soooo nervous. The waiting was awful for me, luckily I had my awesome friends there to joke and make me laugh to distract me (and to take pictures). They were awesome!

He kept looking at a distant ridge, lifting his muzzle and sniffing the air. It was so cute.

My hubby looks creepy in his ski mask hat thing. The jacket on Chrome's back was to put his head on while he was asleep. I guess hubby got tired of carrying it lol.

Chrome got so bored and impatient. He was yawning and pawing. Dork.
I was too cold to walk around hehe.

Leaning against Chrome to share warmth. :D He's such a good boy.

My gorgeous boy. He's getting so gray!

Did some grazing to pass the time.

Finally moved to the sidewalk in front of the clinic to block the wind lol.
It was so much warmer there.

The vet finally came outside to . . . you know. Some of the pictures below may be disturbing to some people. There are pictures of him asleep and falling down. Those were the only things that really disturbed me, but I think it was more because it was my horse. If it was a different horse that I wasn't attached to curiosity probably would have taken over. With Chrome I was a nervous wreck! The vet was so awesome about answering my questions and my friends were the best at keeping me calm. I stayed by his head during the entire procedure, petting him and talking to him. I'll admit I almost started crying at one point, but my friends kept me laughing. :)

Getting the first sedative.

Getting sleepy. I was keeping my distance in case he fell.

I forget why I was laughing, but I really like this picture.

After the second injection he definitely started getting unsteady. He was all splay legged hehe.

He started to fall the wrong way and the vet had to pull his head (I hate the way the halter pulled up into his eye) to make him go the other way.

This is the most awful picture! He almost rolled all the way over (very slight slope), but the vet was an expert at maneuvering him safely into a good position.

I don't have permission to post his face on the internet so I blurred it out. He put a rope around his leg to hold it out of the way and also pulled his tongue out of his mouth so he wouldn't bite it. From this point on my friend switched to video for the procedure. The vet explained the whole thing as he went along and showed everything to the camera. His confidence helped keep me calm. I stayed by Chrome's head the whole time, petting him. I didn't want to see the procedure while it was being done, but it was interesting watching the video. I was going to post the video, but some of our conversation was inappropriate for the blog and other people are in it that I don't have permission to post on the internet. Oh well. It's probably too gross for most people anyway hehe.

The procedure went quickly and Chrome did well. The vet did an awesome job and was just great for the whole thing. Then we just had to wait while Chrome woke up.

When he finally sat up he ran his tongue right through his own poop pile eww! I moved his head a little and kicked the poop away. I wish I'd had a rake so I could have cleaned it up.

When he rolled up he had his leg in a weird position, so we fixed it to make him for comfortable.

He sat there for probably five minutes before he got up. We were in the process of switching the camera to video so we could get him standing up when he did it lol. I was shocked how quickly he stood up. He was definitely unbalanced, but didn't stagger around like I worried he might. We did get a video of me stuffing his poor dried out tongue back in his mouth. It's hilarious because I didn't realize she was taping it.


I stood with him for a few minutes while he got steadier and then he started mugging for treats haha! Can't keep my boy down for long. I knew he was okay when he did this . . .

. . . beautiful smile. Had to change it to black and white because the color was awful.

I was talking while I hugged him so my expression is weird, but I love this picture.
He was still so out of it lol.

When he seemed steady enough to ride safely in the trailer we went to load him up. He did NOT want to go on. Poor baby. I think it's because he was feeling so unbalanced. He would walk halfway up and then back down the ramp again. He was getting more and more upset, so my husband and one of my friends finally got behind him and pushed him into the trailer. Poor baby. We definitely need more work and practice at loading and hauling.

When we got home he was sweating again, but not too bad. When I turned him out in the pasture he was eager to see his buddies. The little turd donkey started chasing him and acting aggressively (I guess because of the blood? Weak herd member?), so we trapped him out of the round pen and let Chrome rest with Faran for a few hours until the anesthesia wore off.

When I went back out a few hours later to let him out of the round pen he was napping.

I felt bad waking him, but he'd already heard me and it was too late to sneak back inside so I went ahead and let him out.

He walks a little slow, but seems pretty unconcerned with his incision. I forgot how stoic he is.

Not sure what he was doing . . . maybe checking to see if Faran had stolen something from him LOL! Two seconds later Faran told him in no uncertain terms to back off.

Sleepy boy sticking his tongue out hehe.

Their bickering never lasts long. It looks like Chrome was grooming Faran, but he was actually licking him lol. This was the best picture I got darnit.

Gorgeous Faran!

They moved out onto the thirty acres for some grazing.
Zeppelin was leaving him alone, thank goodness.

Dirty (but cute) donkey.

Faran was dirty too hehe.

Anyway the vet said basically to leave him out where he can move around, watch for excessive swelling and walk or longe him daily. He gave him a tetanus and a shot of penicillin (is that common practice now?), so he should be good. He said I don't have to clean it or put anything on it. If it closes up on the outside I'll have to take him back in so the incision can be reopened. Please keep your fingers crossed it doesn't!

He's doing great. He really seems a lot less concerned with the whole thing than I would have thought. He was even . . . uh playing with himself so he must not be in too much pain. Of course it could be that the local anesthetic hasn't worn off yet. We shall see how he feels tomorrow. I hope it's not horribly cold because I'll be out there walking him at least twice tomorrow for thirty minutes. I don't work tomorrow, so maybe more. Anyway I'll keep you all updated!

All Good!!

We're back and everything went great! Chrome was such a good boy (well except for loading back onto the trailer to come back home, but I don't blame him) and I LOVE this vet. I'll be back in a bit with details, pictures and even video! He let us videotape the whole procedure. :) I'll be back. Thanks guys for you advice and encouragement.

Tomorrow is the day! I'm nervous!

Tomorrow is Chrome's appointment at the vet to get gelded. I'm so nervous! I think I mentioned on here already that this is my first time having a horse gelded. The horses I grew up with were either mares or already geldings, so I'm new to this whole thing. If anyone has any advice, hints, tips, tricks, after-care instructions, questions I should ask the vet, etc. please share! Just nothing to scare me please. No horror stories lol.

We got the trailer ready today. Checked the tires and wiring, put down bedding, hung a hay net, etc. I don't want to have to deal with any equipment malfunctions hehehe. Then I loaded Chrome to let him eat his supper on the trailer. He paused at the ramp to sniff it and then walked right on. Of course he found his feed immediately so that was his jackpot. Then we closed the ramp and doors so he could eat with it all closed up. His head came up and he was very tense, but he didn't panic and did finish his supper. Then we let the ramp down and he waited for me to ask him to back out, which he did perfectly. So unless he just wakes up on the wrong side of the bed tomorrow he should load fine. I feel like I'm as prepared as I can get, just have to concentrate on keeping the anxiety at bay and we should be fine.

I would really appreciate aftercare instructions though because I've never done this before. My plan so far is to leave him loose in the pasture so he can move around as much as possible. It's going to be cold all week which will help the swelling and should keep him from going for a dip in the pond. As far as cleaning I'm not sure what to do. I've heard a million different things. Cold hosing to keep swelling down and keep the wound open. Walking twice a day for thirty minutes a piece for the same reasons. Some people say use diluted iodine spray or betadine to clean it. Some say leave it alone. I've been told to use Vaseline on his legs to keep them from getting raw from the drainage. Also is he okay out with Faran and Zep? He won't play too hard will he? Do I give anything for pain or swelling or let him hurt so he will take it easy? Anyway thank you so much everyone in advance for any help or advice you can offer. :)

Gelding Chrome!

Eeek! I finally got a date set. November 28th! I'm so scared. I've waited for two and a half weeks for my regular vet to call me back so I did some asking around and got really good reviews for a different vet that is in a smaller, nearby town, so I scheduled it with him. I met him today because I went with a friend who's horse got an ugly laceration on her muzzle/lip and he is so friendly. I liked him right away. :D I'm still really nervous though. He says he puts them all the way on the ground instead of doing it standing . . . if I chewed fingernails I'd be doing it right now lol.

Feeling Guilty

I'm feeling guilty that I'm not spending much time with the horses. I expected this obviously because of NaNo, although the house remodel project was sort of spur of the moment and unexpected, but it doesn't stop me from feeling bad. I guess it doesn't really matter. All of their needs are being met. I just haven't been training or anything. I guess a lot of people take the winter off from riding, so maybe that's all I'm doing lol.

I do have to get Chrome gelded though . . . still waiting on the vet to call me back to schedule that. I really want to get it done now so that by the time May rolls around all of the testosterone will be out of his system, although I really don't think being a stallion is going to affect his trainability. Even as a stallion he's been the sweetest, most laid back horse I've ever worked with. :D Anyway I guess there was no point to this random post, just thinking out loud.

Gelding Question

Thanks everyone for your comments on gelding Zeppelin. I don't think I really asked my question clearly though. I am definitely gelding both Zeppelin and Chrome. I'm gelding Chrome as soon as I have the money. Zeppelin is the one I'm not sure about . . . I've heard donkeys can have more complications than horses and older equine (he's four) can have more complications than younger ones. So considering the fact that he's 'higher risk' do I have him gelded now or after he's tamed? If there are complications it would be impossible for me to catch him, hose him, exercise him, etc. So the question isn't should I geld him or not (because I am), it's do I geld him now or later? I'm worried if something goes wrong I won't be able to take care of him. If I wait until he's tame (could be a year or more) then I would be able to care for him properly. Does that make any sense? Thank you guys!

Equine Pilates and Opinions on Gelding

I decided to do some equine pilates with Chrome today (can you tell I've been on YouTube again?). :) First I worked on lateral flexion. He really didn't want to flex to his right today. A cold front came through last night and the cold wind had him a bit antsy so I didn't push it.

Next I worked on his hooves. He's picking them up and holding them perfectly. I really need to up the criteria and not sit at this spot too long, but I was really tired this morning and the wind was cold so I just asked him to do it a couple of times.

Then I tried having him follow the target between his front legs to stretch his topline, but everytime the target bumped a leg he was offering to hold it up. He even got me in the hand with his hoof by accident so I gave up on that. I've noticed when he's lifting his hooves he naturally hold his head low so maybe that's enough stretching. It makes me wonder if that's easier to balance with his head down for trimming . . .

Next I worked on having him lift his back. For those of you who may not know you can make a line from the horses hip to his tail head and about halfway rub gently with something hard like a hoof pick (don't hurt them!) on both sides and it will make them arch their back. It's like getting goosed lol. I'm clicking for it so hopefully I'll be able to just tickle him as the cue and not have to use a hoof pick or rock or quarter or whatever. I'm hoping this will strengthen his back and teach him to engage his abdominal muscles. If you're interested in doing this you should check out equine pilates on YouTube. It's really cool.

Edited to add: Here is a YouTube video that shows some stretches. She uses a different method for the back lifts and I think I like it better so I might try it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSia13Fa9EA&feature=related And here is a more advances technique for getting them to flex their spine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=905Fl3fZH38&feature=related

After the back lifts I tried the lateral flexion again and he did much better on his right side. Then I worked on head lowering. For some reason he really hates when I touch his poll. I don't understand it at all but when I think back I realize he's been that way a while. I wonder if it's some sort of stallion thing or if it's a young horse thing. Not sure. He lets me groom him and brush his forelock . . .

So anyway it takes the merest brush of my fingers on his poll to get him to drop his head but unfortunately he just pops his head back up, so I've just been leaving my hand in the air so his head comes back up to it if he raises up. Then I have a horsey head yoyo. After a bit he finally paused with his head down for a second, I clicked and gave a treat. After that he was lowering it and holding it down for a second. I'll work on increasing the duration slowly.

I can tell you as soon as my tax money comes in I'm getting him gelded. I'm getting so tired of his attitude. I want him to be the laid back, relaxed boy he used to be before hormones kicked in. I hope none of this has become habit already. I wish my husband hadn't gotten hurt so we could have done it last year. Sigh. Wow sorry for the tone of that paragraph lol.

As for the gelding I still have to decide what to do about Zeppelin. He's four years old now and I really worry about something going wrong if I geld him. And if something went wrong I wouldn't be able to do anything to help him because I still can't handle him. I wouldn't be able to keep him in a stall because he needs exercise and doesn't know how to lead. So do I wait until I can do these things and geld him then?

I'm slowly making progress with touching him. I didn't get much further today than I did yesterday because it was windy and cold and to tell the honest truth my heart just wasn't in it today. I want to be in bed curled up under the electric blanket. :) I rubbed his forehead, poll, over his eyes, cheeks, ears, and behind his poll about three or four inches down his neck (boy am I glad he's short). So the only progression I've made is a couple more inches down his neck. I guess honestly that's pretty huge, or I'll at least look at it that way. :)

So anyway, let me know what you think of gelding the donkey. I just really don't want anything to happen to him. He isn't doing anything wrong or dangerous that makes it's necessary to geld him now, I just think it would make the taming process so much easier. It's sort of a catch 22. If I can't touch him I can't care for him after surgery the way he needs, but him being intact is slowing down the whole progress a lot!

So sorry for rambling on and on, but I would appreciate everyone's opinions. :) Thanks guys!